| Senator Mathew Pitsch of Fort Smith was born in Buffalo, Wyoming.
Currently, Senator Pitsch is serving his first term in the Arkansas
Senate. He represents Senate District 8 which covers part of Sebastian
County including Greenwood and part of Fort Smith. Previously, he
served two terms in the Arkansas House of Representatives from 2015
to 2018.
During the 2019 regular session, Senator Pitsch sponsored several bills
to make government more efficient by eliminating obsolete
government entities and repealing unnecessary duplication in
regulations. He also sponsored legislation to strengthen prohibitions
against using hand-held cell phones in school zones.
Senator Pitsch also sponsored a series of bills on voting procedures, in
order to modernize and protect the fairness of election and to ensure
that all voters are U.S. citizens.
Also, Senator Pitsch was the Senate sponsor of Act 376 of 2019, which
changes procedures for citizens' groups to follow when they try to get
a ballot issue approved. The attorney general will no longer approve
the ballot title and popular name. That will be done by the state Board
of Election Commissioners.
He earned his B.S. and M.S. in electrical engineering management from
the University of Missouri in Rolla in 1985 and 1986, respectively.
Senator Pitsch's professional experience includes being executive
director of Western Arkansas Intermodal Authority, dean of the college
of Applied Science and Technology at the University of Arkansas Fort
Smith, vice-president for economic development for the Greater Fort
Smith Regional Chamber of Commerce and chairman of the board of
the Arkansas-Oklahoma Regional Education and Promotion Association.
Senator Pitsch is married to Seanna and has four children, two
daughters and two sons. He is a member of the Lutheran church. |